GulfGov Reports Web Site Unveiled

August 15, 2006

The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government of the State University of New York have published a new Web site dedicated to GulfGov Reports, a joint venture to study the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on state and local governments in the three states devastated by the storms.

The site at www.rockinst.org/gulfgov will be regularly updated with reports and findings about the progress toward recovery in jurisdictions (state and local governments and school districts) in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The project will explain how state and local governments and community and business organizations responded to the storms and provide lessons for dealing with future disasters. It aims to be a trusted knowledge base for understanding what is being done (or not done) to improve and restore the living conditions of the people affected by the hurricanes.

GulfGov Reports will issue several reports, including an initial one-year-after assessment, four semi-annual update reports on the progress (or lack of progress) made, bulletins highlighting major findings and developments, and periodic special reports focused on major cross-cutting topics such as children’s services, schools and health care. The study will highlight future implications for how federal, state, and local governments plan for and respond to such disasters.